“Like the handling of balls, the writing of genres is “generalizable” to the extent that written text is handled in similarly ways for similar object(ive)s. A person who can write a footnote in a history paper may find it easier to learn to write a footnote in a chemistry paper than a person who has never written a footnote (though the differences in citation purposes and practices may actually make it more difficult—what second language teachers call “interference.”) (Swales, 1990). But from the Activity Theory perspective I am developing here, there is no autonomous, generalizable skill or set of skills called “writing” which can be learned and then applied to all genres/activities” (Russell Pg. 11)

 

“From this perspective, adolescents and adults do not “learn to write,” period. Nor do they improve their writing in a general way outside of all activity systems and then apply an autonomous skill to them. Rather, one acquires the genres (typified semiotic means) used by some activity field, as one interacts with people involved in the activity field and the material objects and signs those people use (including those marks on a surface that we call writing).” (Russell Pg. 7)

 

So I’ll be the first in the class to bring up this great ball analogy and why I love it so much. Before I dive into these quotes like a child would into the ball pit above, I just want to say a few things about the analogy that I’ve been thinking about. For starters I think that this idea applies to so many things outside of just writing that it is insane. Completely blew my mind. When I first read the analogy I kept thinking about fighting video games. I’m fairly decent at Super Smash Bros. and will confidently challenge most people. I’ve put a ton of time into playing that specific game, so I kind of know all fighting games in a sense. I know you want to chain combos as long as possible, rack up as much damage as you can fast, and leave no openings up for your opponent to take advantage of. However, even knowing this, transferring from Smash Bros. to Street Fighter is an impossible task for me. That game is just too damn hard and much more punishing than other fighting games I play. This is basically my interpretation of the Ball analogy. I cant learn one games fighting techniques and know all fighting games techniques. It just doesn’t work like that, and neither does writing.

 

Now with that first nifty quote up there, I kinda went into that in my example of me playing different games. I have no generalized skill for playing fighting games. What I do have is a specific experience related to Smash Bros., but none in other fighting games. However, I can use my knowledge of things that overlap between the two to learn faster. Like I know from Smash Bros. that if I can combo someone, they can’t fight back. When I play street fighter, I am combo’d to death and can’t fight back. So as I can see, my knowledge of the prior game continues on to this one, but it doesn’t mean I am good, I can just see things that I need to do. I really wish I was good at street fighter though, things people can do are amazing in that game.

 

But enough about video games, I want to focus on this balls analogy more. I think the second quote is more or less the application of this idea, and the first quote was like the conclusion the author was approaching. This second quote really is something I feel like we are missing in school. I think teachers in the English Department especially, expect people to just know how to write like they want. Yet, I took a creative fiction writing course last semester, having never had the experience before in all my schooling to write a fiction story, and was expected to know all the conventions and strive. Like what? I’ve written 5 paragraph essays and blurbs on blackboard and now am expected to have researched all the factors that go into the various forms of fiction? I was outraged, and ultimately never learned a damn thing about fiction writing. I was just told to write, but not knowing any forms, or no in class practice that the teacher would review and help with, lead me to get harshly criticism from the class and teacher and probably had less training than everyone else in there. I wanted that class so I could have that interaction with that genre in the activity field, but it felt like instead I was just learning how to write a long story that sucked, just to pass a required course. So in that class it felt like I was suppose to play soccer, but all I knew was basketball, and the teacher never taught me the difference. A more focused curriculum based on developing specific techniques found in that genre probably would of aided me in that class, and as a writer in general. Instead I was put off more than ever from writing, which kind of sucked.

But yeah I think this idea is pretty applicable to most things In life, and is super interesting way to look at things that seem simple, yet are so complex.

 

So here is my spiel on this whole Theory of Writing thing we’ve been discussing in class. But before we discuss that I need to make two points: For starters I am not well read enough to make any claims of worth in this matter. Secondly disregard that last point for I am pretty sure reading is linked in this theory of writing, and is as important as writing. With that said, let’s get this show on the road.

As you might have seen my title and hook image are saying “Hey, Listen!” Writing at its finest. Well I thought this would be a great segue for talking about this subject.  Writing in my mind has to be linked to reading. For why would we write if we couldn’t read, and so on. I also think a lot of the same processes go on with reading and writing. With reading we see writing and can create our own thoughts and ideas based off what we read, just like we can create new information  and ideas through writing. When I start thinking of how to even explain a theory of writing I feel like I need to go into some giant study like the one we read for class. Yet, I am lazy, and I like things simple so let’s break this thing down.

The key parts involved in this equation are Intended Purpose, Audience, Detail. Now when we write we always have a purpose. Even if you’re bored and just writing things down, “just because”, well that is because our brains demand stimuli and that is fulfilling that need, thus a purpose. Usually we have an actual thought out purpose such as email, homework, texting, online dating, and what have you. Now because you have a purpose you need to write in specific ways, in order to elicit responses from your intended audience. Let’s take online dating as an example. You just met someone and traded numbers and you go to send a message like, “Wow your curves are so amazing” or some superficial message since you only had images to create a conversation. Now you sent that message to hopefully elicit some sense of happiness in the other person and then they want to talk to you more or something along those lines. Now that fulfills the purpose of the writing at hand.

Why audience is so important is because let’s say you accidentally sent that message to your Mom. I do not think emotions of happiness are likely to form, nor did you want them to form. So clearly audience is a big part of how writing creates meaning and is useful. Next and lastly, detail. I think this is just pretty explanatory, but I’ll explain myself a bit. I think it really sucks when people send messages and you are left totally confused. What did they mean by, “I gt yo skrilla sn”? That was a real message I got from my Dad recently. Apparently it meant, “I got your money son.” Who would’ve guessed. This is exactly why detail is important. If we are not clear in the messages we write, tons of stress and anxiety can be created, which no one needs more of. So I’ll let you all piece together my theory of writing, but it kinda goes something like: “We write with a purpose to illicit a response from an intended audience, and we do so carefully through our choices in the details.” But don’t quote me on that.

My background actually isn’t that bogus, I just liked the alliteration and reference to old movies. I guess I’m like anyone else, a malleable human cask that has been influenced by his relatively easy going past. I came from a poorish family, that struck gold in a sense as I got older, and never really had struggles like some might. Thankfully, this lead to my massive exposure to video games and similar media, aka anime. I guess video games and anime kinda influenced my everything I want in life in some way. I used to be much more creative and draw a ton, and dreamed to become some how involved in video games. But….I took a real look at my skills and I saw no future in that so I looked at my other options. English was always my least favorite class growing up. I was always so much better at literally every subject that I’m still sometimes confused why I am an English major. However, I kinda always knew I wanted to teach. In high school I was a math tutor and I felt like I was pretty good at it, but math sucks, and it’s totally boring, but this experience kinda made me lean toward being a teacher of something. While going to Butte College I found that something! I took a intro to Japanese class because all my friends took it the semester before me, and I could use their books. I was kinda in it just to understand anime, but it turned out that I just loved learning it. It was the only class I looked forward to and I wish I still had some I could take now. I kinda thought to myself, “Okay Zach, you like anime…and video games…and Japanese…what do these have in common?” Well lemme shed some light, JAPAN! It hit me like a truck, which i now think is a pretty sad simile, but none the less, I realized something I could do! Teach English to Japanese folk! I figured since I liked learning Japanese so much, I could assume that someone in Japan felt the same. Thus I studied abroad, realized Japan is freaking awesome, and now I’m set to teach there!

 

Well that’s more of a bio than most of my friends know about me, but what the heck. I like my background. Well the next thing to discuss is what I want from this class. Now to be honest, I had no idea what this class was about at all. I just saw I needed it for the TESOL cert., and was enough to sign me up. However, this seems like the coolest class I’ve signed up for yet. I’m not much of a dedicated student, for I think that actual application of my knowledge to helping others has little to do with my knowledge of say how to read and understand Chaucer. Which is why I am super pumped for this class, because I tend to excel at the actual tutoring and teaching aspect of things versus my ability to make arguments on literature that I despise. So I guess I am just super stoked to actual tutor, which I feel like if college is to prep you for your job you would do more of this kind of work, but It hasn’t worked out that way thus far. Which Is again, why I am excited for this class.

 

Literacy in my mind is one of those words like “reading” or “terrorism.” They kind of don’t have agreed upon meanings. Well they do in a sense, besides terrorism, but it kind of is up the the person using the word to define it. Like in my mind literacy applies to all things in life that can be understood, thus you are literate in somethings, and not in others. But I have a feeling that most people exclude the word to writing and reading scholarly subjects. Like I know for a fact, I am more literate at reading Yugioh cards than anyone you know, but I could care less about reading some early English literature, and therefor be less literate in the subject. So with that said, I find myself lacking in many contemporary forms of literacy. I do not really use social media besides Facebook, which I hardly use, compared to most. So when people talk about Instagram and all those popular things, I tend to have no idea what they are talking about. In the same way I really do not follow many English majors on what books they like because I haven’t really found books that I liked, until recently. So in a lot of ways, I feel less literate then my peers, but I make up for it in anime, video games, and skateboarding. I know so much about these three pillars of my core being that in out weighs in my mind what I feel to be lacking. So in an average day I expose myself to reading subtitles in an anime or a few, to video game knowledge via patch notes or something like a youtube video describing new found techniques, and I skateboarded my whole life so I am well versed in the terminology of the skateboard world. I recently started reading books, which is new to me, but I love it. I tend to read Japanese modern novels, and Kurt Vonnegut who I find to be absolutely hilarious. I write absolutely nothing. I do not consider texting to be involved in this, because in this day in age texting is almost a new way of speaking which I would not consider in the realm of literacy. Other than that I write few times a week for school. I kinda felt the way Szwed felt about literacy before reading his article. There are many forms of it, and it is something that needs to be questioned in order to properly judge people on it.

So with that being said, thanks for listening. I am a big nerd. I like things more than English, but I can use English as my trade so I’m gonna use it. Hope you kinda followed this, a bottle of wine helped write it so it sounded “real.”